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Anguish and anger greet Jian Ghomeshi acquittal

A judge’s decision to acquit Jian Ghomeshi on sex assault charges immediately sparked a larger discussion on social media about the rights of sex assault victims and societal double standards.

Rage and grief turned into chants of chants of “We believe survivors” at Old City Hall Thursday evening.

The crowd for the planned rally — mostly composed of young women — shouted louder than sirens and streetcars and traffic to vent their frustration and anger.

“Claim our bodies, claim our rights, take a stand, this is our fight,” yelled the group, which numbered in the hundreds. “The system isn't broken, it was built this way.”

Marching down Bay St., Rachel Ramkaran waved a homemade sign in the rain with her friend, suggested the tensions behind the rally’s cries were flared for a reason.

“It beats being silent about these things,” she said. “Silence means it doesn't matter but all these people here show there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.”

Among the scheduled speakers were advocates such as Glen Canning, father of Rehtaeh Parsons, the Nova Scotian teenager who died after attempting suicide following a sexual assault. Two complainants in the Ghomeshi case were also there, including Lucy DeCoutere, who said the verdict was just “phase one” of the conversation.

The overwhelming number of people who went online to comment on the decision voiced their support for Ghomeshi’s accusers, as well as to share their own stories and demand justice.

Many of them expressed disappointment – not only that Ghomeshi was not convicted, but also that the complainants’ credibility was attacked by the defence and the judge.

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Long after other protesters had left, Carrie Lester still stood in front of the courthouse holding a sign that read “Travesty of Justice.”

“I'm here because everyone is gone. People need to know what happened here,” Lester said.

Ghomeshi’s sister Jila gave a brief statement outside the courtroom.

“We are relieved but not surprised by the court’s decision today. It can only be surprising to those who rushed to judgment before the trial even started and before a single word of evidence had been heard,” she said.

Jacob Jesin, a lawyer representing the first complainant, read a prepared statement outside the courthouse.

“While my story may not have passed the high legal test for proof it remains my position that the evidence on the substantive issues is truthful,” wrote the woman, whose identity is covered by a publication ban.

“I encourage anyone who is a victim of abuse to come forward, seek assistance and not be afraid of what may happen. While the process is undoubtedly difficult it is nevertheless worthwhile and empowering. A weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I can now move on.”

She has created a website, comingforward.ca, where other victims of sex assault can get resources and support.

Lenore Lukasik-Foss, chair of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, and director of the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area, said the verdict wasn’t surprising.

“What is quite surprising is the judge’s thorough discrediting of the complainants,” she said. “The tenor and tone of the way the judge was so thoroughly explaining why they were not credible was very concerning for me, because they seemed to rely on stereotypes about survivors and misinformation about how people respond.”

Lawyer Peter Rosenthal said the decision wasn’t unusual in any way.

“The judge didn’t find that he could rely on their evidence to make a finding beyond a reasonable doubt of guilt, he said. “Of course that fact doesn’t mean that nothing happened that was improper. It just means that there was not sufficient proof to establish it beyond a reasonable doubt that there was an offence committed.”

Speaking on CP24 in Toronto shortly after the ruling was made, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to weigh in on the case.

“It just came down, and in any case, I’m not going to react to specific verdict like that,” he said.

But, Trudeau added, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t debate whether the current legal system adequately supports victims of sexual abuse.

“I think these are the kinds of discussions we need to be having as a society that values and has respect for women,” he said.

With files from Dan Taekema, Michael Robinson and Sarah-Joyce Battersby

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